


Oneshots - Navarre and Hermann

by Zireael07



Series: Navarre & Hermann [2]
Category: Deus Ex (Video Games)
Genre: Codependency, Explicit Language, F/M, Gossip, Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2019-11-12 09:18:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18008135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zireael07/pseuds/Zireael07
Summary: Assorted oneshots, in rough chronological order, from the same universe as my other stories. Might get moved back/from the main story as "holes" in between are filled.





	1. Chapter 1

UNATCO headquarters, LA

Joseph Manderley slammed a bottle of... something down on his desk, poured himself a generous portion, and then punched in the number to augmentations.  
'What's the status on the investigation into Agent Navarre's augmentations? ... What do you mean you don't know! I have an agent who's out of action for the foreseeable future and you say you don't know!'  
He slammed his fist on the desk so hard that the bottle went rolling, and the crash brought in Janice.  
'Get your sorry asses in gear and find out what's going on! I. Am. Not. Going. To. Lose. One. Of. My. Best. Agents. Because. You've. Messed. Up. The. Initial. Process. Am I making myself clear?'  
Reed righted the bottle, looked at it twice and stared at him in clear shock, since it was unlike him to drink on the job.  
'Listen to me you fucker. Navarre tried to kill herself because whatever's happening is not only messing with her infolink, it's also messing with her head. And I want her alive and functioning, and not a motherfucking mess that she's right now.'  
The chief slammed the end call button, downed the rest of the drink and only then noticed his secretary staring at him in shock.  
'Agent Navarre tried what?' she mumbled weakly.  
'Tried to kill herself. The grapevine is going to be running red hot for the next couple of days, I suppose. The real reason - but that's a 'need to know', Reed - is, she is suffering from augmentation malfunction. It is affecting her behavior, or so says Reyes. Anna being Anna did not take those news very well, to say the least.'  
Janice said something not fit for print and reached for the bottle to pour herself some and immediately down it.  
'I heard you say 'tried', so I suppose she's still alive? That's at least some good news'  
'Alive, and Jaime and Gunther are sitting with her right now and trying to talk her out of any further idiocies.'  
The secretary winced.  
'She's always been very independent, even as a rookie. Talking her into or out of anything is... not easy.'  
'Reyes also mentioned something very concerning, that I will certainly raise with Augmentations once they've solved the current problem. The gist is, they apparently screwed something really badly with the initial process and made her emotionally stunted.'  
'Emotionally...?'  
'Think of all those whispers you've heard over the years? She _is_ stone cold, but not out of her own volition. According to our own Mr. Reyes, she can only experience a very limited range of emotions.'  
'And having even that limited range affected by something outside of her control... triggered her-' Reed winced and downed some more alcohol.  
'Most likely.' the chief nodded.  
'Dear G-d. I would probably do the same if I were her'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the interlude that I alluded to in the original story.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a whole chapter that I couldn't decide how to fit in the main story's chronology ("somewhere in week three" is as far as I got), so it goes here.
> 
> The Valentine's Day special should probably come here, too, but I can't figure out how to move it without losing comments.

Unspecified location 

Private Newman moved around and tried to find a better position to sleep. The standard issue sleeping bags weren't that bad, but he would have certainly preferred a real bed. Getting selected for this UNATCO Deployed Unit of twelve men - fairly big if one was to compare with usual missions of one-two agents plus a couple of men for support - however, made the chances of that minuscule. He glanced at the other nine UNATCO men in their own bags scattered around, and then a soft sound drew his attention to the other side of the campsite.

Agent Gunther Hermann was definitely not alone in his sleeping bag, and Newman briefly deliberated calling the headquarters to call off the mission - bringing one's lover to a classified op was enough to compromise everyone.

As he tried to formulate a sentence that he could send over the radio to make enough sense, Gunther's large hand undid the zip of the bag. In the moonlight, the poor insomniac private could see the shape of the man's lover peeling herself off him to sit astride... Judging from the soft sounds, both of them quite enjoyed this position.

The quiet of the night was shattered by a gunshot. Hermann's lover gave a startled shout and then slowly collapsed on top of him.

' _Scheisse_!' the agent swore loudly.

In the low light, Newman could see the man extract himself from underneath the woman. His torso was now streaked with her blood, but Gunther paid her no attention in favor of grabbing a gun and shooting back at the attacker.

The commotion was enough to wake up the men, who extricated themselves from the sleeping bags and alternated between staring at their colleague's naked - and impressive - form and actually participating in the fight. Whoever the attackers were, faced with eleven rifles, they decided that the better part of valor was to flee.

Hermann elected not to chase the men, instead bending over the woman lying on top of his sleeping bag. Newman moved closer, offering a medkit - and barely holding back some sharp words on the tip of his tongue.

The man shook his head, instead poking and prodding at the woman's shoulder.

'Do you see an exit wound, Newman?'

The private shook his head mutely. The bullet had evidently gone in from the back, but it had to be stuck in the wound.

'Not really sir, what caliber was it?'

'I think it was a 9mm' Gunther said, ignoring his own nakedness in favor of fashioning some sort of a dressing for her.

As he was dressing the wound, the woman stirred and opened her eyes. Well, one natural eye and one red bionic eye.

'Gunther? What the hell happened?' she said, her voice a bit fuzzy but so familiar.

Newman closed his mouth with a snap when he realized he was busy staring at Agent Anna Navarre's face for a bit too long.

'You took a bullet to the shoulder, unfortunately it's embedded' the German explained in a brisk, no-nonsense tone.

'You're bleeding' Anna observed, staring unashamedly at her partner.

'Nah, it's all yours. You lost quite some blood, but it should be okay once it's dressed.'

Navarre rotated her arm experimentally only to wince and swear.

'Don't complain, could be worse, at least it's your left arm' Hermann pointed out.

'How the fuck am I going to get dressed if I can't move the arm?' she asked rhetorically, glancing at her black vest lying discarded on her own sleeping bag.

'You don't' was the straight answer.

'Uh-' the poor private choked out, remembering that Agent Navarre was completely naked.

Gunther rolled his eyes and wrapped the woman in his own jacket, conveniently solving the problem. Newman shrugged helplessly as he turned around only to see the other men looking various kinds of shocked. Once the shock started wearing off, he deemed it safe to turn around.

Navarre was sitting on the sleeping bag, completely dressed - in her own leggings and Gunther's jacket - and looking majorly annoyed.

'Ow, why did I get shot and not someone else?' she complained.

'You wanted to be on top this time. As far as interruptions go, that one takes the cake' Hermann groused.

Someone tittered and was then subject to two evil glares sent his way.

With nothing else happening, the men slowly drifted off to sleep. Poor Newman rolled around some more, trying to imitate his colleagues.

'Anna? Your shoulder-' a low male voice drifted by.

'Be quiet. I'm cold' Navarre said matter-of-factly.

'You got too used to sleeping next to me' the man chuckled. 'Really, you've got your own sleeping bag'

'Yours is roomier' the woman said sleepily.

Judging from the sounds, Gunther reluctantly let her crawl in. The private cracked one eye open and indeed, Anna's dark head was pillowed on the man's shoulder.

'Mmm, _caliente_...' she murmured.

'Ow, damn shoulder' Anna complained some minutes later, clearly a moment away from falling asleep.

'At least you're alive' Hermann commented quietly.

'For now' Navarre said quietly. 'What? Neither one of us is actually immortal' she added to what must have been an inquisitive look.

'I will not let you die' the man said quietly, fiercely.

'Gunther...' Newman could almost see her shaking her head. 'We risk our lives every day in the line of duty. One day, that enemy bullet will not miss.'

A short, simple statement delivered in Anna's cold, detached voice, but it still made the private shiver - and if he reacted this way, he could only imagine the German's reaction.

'We're the perfect weapons, with no living family, no one left behind to cry for us' he surmised, bitterness clear in his voice.

There was a brief lull, and then Gunther asked quietly:

'And if I were to fall tomorrow? Would you cry for me, Anna?'

The private rolled to the other side, pretending with all his might that he couldn't hear the conversation. But that wasn't the case...

'No' said Navarre quietly, voice even as always. Then she added, a touch softer 'That is not an emotion I can experience, and you know it, Gunther.'

A minute pause, and she whispered:

'But I would miss you. After all, I have known you for twelve... thirteen years now.' another pause 'Let us hope it happens later rather than sooner...'

'What, hoping to retire somewhere nice? The Azure Coast, perhaps?'

'Maybe a warm dacha on the Black Sea coast' Anna fired back in all seriousness, proving once again that she did not have a sense of humor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UNATCO Deployed Unit is a thing mentioned briefly in one of the mood-setting UNATCO leaflets or booklets.
> 
> Translations:  
> scheisse (German) - shit  
> caliente (Spanish) - warm, hot


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: even more foul language than usual, the character here is really foul-mouthed.

UNATCO headquarters, LA 

Anna Navarre frowned as one of the fresh troopers approached her. Something about his smile set her on edge. In fact, he was almost smirking as he plopped down a picture on the table. She glanced at it and for a moment, she did not know what to think.

The picture might not be the perfect quality, a bit smudged on edges, but it was otherwise really good - and good enough for the situation to be obvious. A seated woman in side view, her head thrown back in ecstasy, completely naked apart from high black boots. The reason for her rapture was not immediately obvious - the angle meant only a bit of her lover's head was visible between her thighs, his hand on her hip much more of a giveaway.

'So what?' Navarre snapped at the recruit.

'How about you give me glowing reports, and I will not show the chief this picture?' the man moved his hand aside, revealing the woman's face.

Anna's own face. She grit her teeth.

'Blackmailing me will not work' she warned the man in a cold voice.

'Oh, I daresay he would be very interested in the fact his agent is nothing more than a cheap street whore...' the trooper cackled loudly.

Navarre's blood boiled with fury, especially as heads in the break room started turning around.

'How about you shut your dirty mouth?' she asked loudly, trying to drown him out.

'Or what? Want me to go down on you, you cunt? Going to beg me for it like you do with him?' he waved his hand at where her man's hand was visible in the picture.

There was a moment of silence, broken by a gasp and an outraged 'Language!' in someone's - a woman's - voice. The recruit just laughed nastily.

'Shut up!' Anna lost her cool. 'My private life is none of your fucking business!'

'Oh, I daresay I could make it my fucking business, you cu-' he waggled his eyebrows at her.

The man was interrupted mid-word by two large hands grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him like a ragdoll. For a 2 meter tall hulk, Gunther Hermann could move quietly when he wanted to.

'I would think twice on what I call Agent Navarre if I were you' the taller man warned him quietly.

The trooper was either very brave or very stupid.

'I will call a whore a whore since that's all she is, apparently, the cu-! '

A powerful blow sent the recruit reeling to the floor.

'One more nasty word from you, and you'll be picking up your teeth from the floor' Gunther said in a growl.

'Since she seems to like oral so much, I think there'll be a queue lining up for a taste of her, do you want a spo-'

'There will be no queue' Hermann said, before delivering another punch.

As the man toppled to the floor, he smirked over his head at Anna. She found herself grinning back at him.

'I could have handled him myself, I don't need you defending my honor' she said drily, then backpedaled as she belatedly realized it would seem like a complete lack of appreciation. 'But I admit it was cute, I liked having someone defend me'

'You liked?...' Gunther repeated, the tone of his voice changing slightly.

Navarre could see his nostrils flaring, a dead giveaway that he was getting turned on.

'You will find out later how much I liked it' she said, feeling bold, and rather certain that no one except Hermann would get the subtext.

'I bet what you like is a man's cock in your-' the beaten trainee had got up in the middle of their little exchange and seemed not to have gotten the hint. 'Tell me, is your man big enough?'

Anna smirked.

'Certainly bigger than you, I'm sure' she shot back and was pleased to see the recruit's eyes bulge.

'How-?'

'I believe most men are built proportionally in that respect. Taller means bigger' she said, feeling very bold. 'And you'll know how much shorter you are, in a moment.'

Gunther walked right up to the poor would-be-blackmailer so that his nose touched his chest, and then smirked smugly, placing the palm of his hand where the top of the man's head was, proving undoubtedly that the man was definitely shorter. Navarre though privately that the recruit was shorter than herself, too.

'I believe that's quite a lot of height that you're missing, and that obviously translates to... size' Hermann grinned nastily at the other man, waiting for the penny to drop.

'That makes you a real beast' the trooper laughed 'I bet a woman would find you too big'

'Believe me, she is definitely not complaining' the taller man shot back, his smirk widening as he stared straight at Anna.

The recruit followed his line of sight and then paled as he slowly added two to two.

'Not complaining...' Navarre grinned 'Not complaining at all, in fact, I was thinking about a swap-'

'A swap?' Gunther repeated, before glancing where she was looking, at the photo on table, and she could see his nostrils flaring even faster as the realization hit. 'You don't have to-'

'I think I would indeed rather like a swap' Anna was undeterred.

'A swap? Please enlighten us on what do you mean...' interjected a smooth male voice.

Navarre froze and whipped her head around, frantically hoping that her auditory implants were sending her wrong signals. They weren't. Mr Manderley was standing half a meter away, and clearly pretending not to look at the photo, which meant he must have seen it already.

'Uh, it's not- not related to the mission' she stammered, dearly hoping he would drop the topic.

'I already surmised it isn't. Please tell me you weren't discussing what I think you were, Agent Navarre'

Anna could not usually feel shame, but in that instant, she felt stirrings of something like it. She was aware her cheeks were burning.

'Agent Hermann, please unhand the private. He will be taken to the detention area and will be given lots of time to rethink the words he used to describe a fellow UNATCO member. As for the photo, it does not merit further discussion, it will be destroyed.'

'You mean you aren't going to do anything about the photo I to-'

'Agent Navarre's personal life is none of my concern, nor yours. And I will add spying on a workmate to your charges, private.'

Navarre swallowed. Now that the risk of blackmail was gone, she glanced at the incriminating photo and realized that in fact, it was taken in a fairly artistic way. At least it made her look better than 90% of the photos she had the misfortune to be caught on.

'Sir, I'd like to- to keep the photo' she said, forcing her voice to remain level.

Manderley's head turned around to look at her, and only a raised eyebrow betrayed his surprise. Unfortunately Anna had spoken a bit too early, as the poor private was still in the doorway, being escorted out.

'Going to keep a memento of what exactly you like, you cunt, so that Hermann can treat you to a repeat performance?'

Faster than anyone could expect him to, her partner was on the man, pummeling him into the ground. It took three men to pull him away, Gunther's face red with embarrassment and fury.

'No, I want a reference to teach him how to take photos that don't make me look like a scarecrow' Navarre shot back unashamedly. 'You look like you could have made a halfway decent photographer, pity you missed your calling.'

Hermann calmed down enough to give a bark of laughter at the parting shot as the trooper was led out.

Anna pocketed the photo, acutely aware of everyone watching her, but none more than Gunther. She turned her head to face him and found her gaze drawn to the dark red tint on his neck and cheeks, and to the way his nostrils were flaring.

'Oi, cut that out!' Collins' voice called out loudly, while Manderley coughed meaningfully.

'Do I need to remind you about the condition I laid out two weeks ago?' the chief asked calmly. 'Namely personal life not getting mixed into professional life?'

'I was _not_ the one with the intent to mix them' Anna seethed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit stuck on the main story (I have a chapter that absolutely needs to be written first, but I can't get it down... all I have is a bunch of scattered paragraphs), so here's a treat. My notes say "somewhere in week 4".
> 
> BTW I know "taller = bigger" is not necessarily always true IRL. Nor what they say about feet...


	4. Chapter 2 interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A different POV on what happened in Chapter 2, or rather the outcome...

UNATCO headquarters, LA 

Jaime Reyes was not very surprised when he saw a small crowd of people in the medbay. An overnight mission was just brought to an end, and that usually meant all sorts of scrapes - if not more serious wounds - for him to treat. This time, it was Anna Navarre accompanied by two privates. For some reason, she insisted he take care of the others first - a totally uncharacteristic bout of chivalry, the medic thought.

Once he was done with the two, Navarre finally sat down on the medbay bed and shrugged off her outer wear, very awkwardly. Beneath the loose outfit, she wore a khaki jacket that Reyes immediately recognized as Hermann's. She started undoing it, and he noticed she was doing her best not to move her left arm at all.

'What happened?' he frowned.

'Shot in the shoulder' she replied, her voice level, turning away from him.

The medic helped her take off the jacket, only to realize she wore nothing underneath. The way she kept her back to him couldn't be motivated by just an attempt to keep her modesty, though - he'd known her long enough to know she cared little for such things.

'Why show me the back?'

'That's where the entry wound is. No exit, though - Gunther says the bullet's stuck inside.'

Reyes winced.

'Must've been one neat ambush to get you in the back' he observed.

Anna said nothing, and a sound of quiet laughter made him lift his head. Over her shoulder, he could see the two privates he'd treated before, laughing in the doorway.

'Riiight, ambush' said one, and the other tittered even louder.

He felt rather than saw Navarre's back muscles tighten.

'Mind your own business, gentlemen' the medic pointed out.

'She should've, she wouldn't've gotten shot.' the man then addressed the female agent 'How about you stick to your own sleeping bag next time, no "ambushes" can get you there' and the two men tittered again.

'Fuck yourselves' Anna hissed angrily, and Reyes was startled - she wasn't usually one to display such fits of temper.

The two men guffawed loudly.

'Bad choice of words, Navarre. Really, really bad. Especially when you're parading around in his jacket because you had to get shot while-'

The emphasis on the word 'his' was impossible to miss, and Jaime struggled not to show a reaction.

'OUT!' he said instead, hoping to God Navarre wouldn't go after them in a fit, at least not immediately.

'All right' he sighed once they left 'Mind telling me what that little scene was about?'

A shake of the head was his only answer.

'Okay, but you know, I can guess, especially since you showed up wearing nothing but Gunther's jacket... Really, do try to be more careful next time, por favor?'

Anna grit her teeth, most likely not in answer, just due to the way he poked at the shoulder wound, trying to extract the bullet - which was indeed lodged deep inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, a lot of -_-; faces from Anna in this ;)


	5. Preview: Week Three III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a preview of an upcoming chapter for the main story (Beginnings of Navarre & Hermann) - it's missing a fairly big chunk but there's a heatwave here and I definitely don't do well with thinking pursuits in warm weather.
> 
> Once the chapter gets done - no guarantees when! - , this preview will likely be deleted (resulting in all reviews disappearing, just to be up front)

Baltimore streets 

Anna Navarre shivered as adrenaline slowly wore off. It has been a long time since she was in a shootout as large as this one. The town seemed to be gang turf everywhere, and with a turf war going on. Two of the troopers poked their heads out from behind a barricade. The third UNATCO man manning the front, someone she did not know by name, would not be getting up ever again.

The thought made her look around, searching for the one person she definitely would miss if- if something happened. It should have been easy to spot him, given his superior height, but she could not see the familiar gleam of Gunther's augmentations.

Agent Navarre turned around, scanning the closest area. No sign of Hermann. Frowning, she retraced her footsteps back to the other barricade, and then around the street corner. He wasn't there either. She walked back around, peeking into every nook and cranny she could. Nothing.

'Have you seen Agent Hermann?' she asked the troopers.

One of them shook his head, but the other pointed ahead. Of course. Of course he would charge beyond the safe lines, with no regard for his health or life. She followed the road much more sedately than he likely did, taking care to make use of every bit of cover and shadow possible. It would not do to get shot after the fight ended, after all.

Anna covered most of the city block, but still, she could not spot her partner. Her one consolation was that he was unlikely to be dead - she'd have found the body already. But he might be wounded...

'Gunther?' she called out loud, feeling foolish as soon as his first name left her lips.

Heavy footsteps drew her attention and she saw the man himself. He was breathing heavily and leaning towards the wall of the closest building. When Gunther spotted her, he straightened up and started walking towards her, dragging his feet in visible exhaustion.

Before she even knew what she was doing, Navarre ran to him. To her relief, there were no wounds, just tiredness. The brief -worry- now over, she felt the heat of battle still in her veins. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, gently, and she felt rather than saw him grin. He kissed her back and his warm large hands tangled in her gun belt as he tried to lift her, or maybe just cup her backside.

Hermann laughed and did in fact lift her as soon as he freed one of his hands. Anna supposed she ought to be bothered by the fact he could swing her over his shoulder and carry her off into the night - or rather, into a dark alleyway, but she was not. Her own hands roamed all over his back, and even further down, delving into the back pockets of his uniform trousers.

Gunther put her down, and she could feel a wall just behind her back. The way he looked at her made her thighs quake - after all, they were still partly natural. A smirk on his face proved that he could see the effect he had on her even in the low lighting in the alley.

The next instant, he pounced on her, his belt already unbuckled. He pressed her against the wall, taller and _possibly_ stronger than her, and if she wasn't so turned on, the rough way he took her would probably hurt. Navarre was never one for soft touches and words, but he seemed to tap into some hidden strength, all primal force.

* * *

Collins winced at the sight that greeted him on the street. One of their men was very dead. His gaze swept the UNATCO troops, noting that while they looked tired - the battle must have been very long - they had mostly escaped any serious harm.

'Where are Agents Hermann and Navarre?' the corporal asked.

'She went to find him after the battle ended, as he wasn't at the barricades. No further contact apart from a brief radio message stating that he's OK.'

'Were they informed that the helicopter has arrived?'

'Yes, no reply'

Collins shrugged, taking it in stride. Neither of the agents was a particularly social person, but shunning the others actively was a bit weird. He felt a brief twinge of worry - who knew what qualified as OK in those two mech's minds? - and decided to go have a little look.

Halfway around the block, he came across Navarre, who was evidently heading back. A moment later, Hermann emerged from the alleyway, and Collins barely bit back a bark of laughter.

'That sort of behavior really is unbecoming of a UNATCO agent' he said, as mildly as he could.

'What behavior?' Anna asked neutrally.

The corporal rolled his eyes.

'Please. Don't insult my intelligence, Navarre. Your vest is zipped really badly, at least as far as your usual standards go, and your partner over there... well, it's obvious he was getting dressed in a real hurry...' he trailed off, his gaze sliding down to the taller man's waist.

Gunther slowly followed his line of sight, and then he scrambled madly to close the fly and finish buckling his belt.

Agent Navarre was already past both of them, and she only turned her head and snapped a short "Hurry up!", so the poor German was now forced to multitask.

'Would be a pity if you were to miss the flight because you couldn't keep it in your pants' Collins snarked and the older man shot him a dirty look.

Unfortunately for the agent, they were almost up to the barricade and the two troopers could see him wrestling with his belt.


	6. Chapter 6

Gunther Hermann's flat, LA 

Gunther Hermann stared straight ahead, his red eye optics unfocused. His large hands nursed a glass of vodka - his third of the evening. Anna Navarre, seated on his left, grit her teeth and poked a pair of pincers deeper into his forearm. After a couple of minutes, she let out a triumphant cry as she finally succeeded in extracting a stubborn piece of metal - the last remnant of a flesh, or rather, metal wound.

'Is it out?... Good' slurred the man. 'Thank fuck it's not flesh anymore'

'Anymore?' his partner frowned at the wording.

Gunther grunted something indistinct and swirled the contents of his glass.

'You know, it was the first step? First part I'd gotten? They wanted vol'nters for an 'xperim'tal arm, so I gave up my left. Wasn't an idiot. Wouldn't give my right for xe- -per- untested piece of tech.'

' _Experimental_ arm?' Navarre's eyes widened.

'Yup. First attempt at a real augmentation, not just a prosthetic arm. Now, it would be a piece of shit no one in their right mind would try, but back then... it was cutting edge. Superhuman strength.'

'Which year was it?' she asked, intrigued - Hermann _was_ a sentimental drunk, but he'd never gone into the details of his - voluntary as opposed to hers - augmentation.

The German frowned, evidently trying to recall.

'2020? 2021?' he said after a long while.

' _That early_?' Anna was floored.

'I'd barely started my service and- ' he lost track of his memory for a while 'no real sense of touch, just... vague pressure.'

'Why did you volunteer for such an early tech?'

Gunther stared ahead, lost in memories, his hand unconsciously clenching.

'I guess... I wanted to amount to something. I'd had enough of being the stupid pheasant from ass end of nowhere. And once they gave me the arm, I broke all the unit's records. Bench press, weight lifting, whatever.' he grinned, the feeling of accomplishment apparently still alive even some eighteen years later. 'It took them several years to perfect the tech, to get the sense of touch in. And once they did, I asked them to replace my other arm. They couldn't understand, but they did it. And I proce- proc- broke all of my own records all over again!'

'Was it worth it?' Anna voiced the one question she never got to ask herself.

Hermann grinned, for once showing all of his white teeth.

'Far as I know, they still stand. I could lift steel beams and cars! _Unglaublich, ja_?'

He stood up a little unsteadily and walked off. Navarre followed him into the bedroom, where he proceeded to demonstrate. The servos whirred as Gunther lifted the large bed, seemingly without much effort. Laughing, she convinced him to put it back down, and proceeded to lie down on it, to prevent any more demonstrations. A bit uncoordinated, he clambered on top, still smiling at his memories. She could almost imagine an eighteen or nineteen years old Gunther, grinning and showing off his newfound abilities.

'What about... the others?' Anna's hand, as much metal as his, trailed to his chest, and then downwards, to his hips.

Hermann rolled to his side, his eyes gradually focusing on her.

'I was the strongest in GSG-9, but there were more records to be beaten. Plus I quickly discovered how much more durable my arms were. They gave me new legs, armored them, I got more endurance-'

Navarre found herself giggling, and he looked at her perplexed until his drunk brain finally made the connection.

'Oh, not that kind of endurance....' he laughed '- and I could take shots in my limbs. Was much more convenient than getting wounded in the flesh, so I suggested to my superiors that they could just armor up the whole bulk of me.'

Anna stared, surprise written on her face. All the years she'd known him, she'd believed that Gunther's sheer size was a matter of his augmentations, but the wording he'd just used suggested he was just... naturally built that way.

'It took them several years, but they did get the plating done, and even figured out how to make it subd- sub- make it go under the skin. Later on, they perfected it so that they could armor the head, too. No more silly, bulky helmets!' he grinned.

Anna ran her hand along the back of his head, where a natch would have hair.

'Don't you miss... things that you had before?'

Gunther shook his head, looking bewildered.

'Why would I want soft, unreliable flesh when those exist?' he waved his right arm for emphasis.

Navarre had to admit he had a really good point there.

'Did you get shot in the face? Seeing as you apparently really wanted all that armor...' she trailed off, unconsciously motioning to her own left eye - the bionic one.

Hermann frowned, and then he surprised her again by laughing.

'Oh no, no! I just wanted... more. They said it would be like... being blind all your life, and then suddenly opening your eyes. And hell, were they right! The things I could see, the colors! The others- the others didn't, couldn't, understand. There were just no words, they were all like, _nicht verstehen_!' Gunther laughed out loud, again. 'Those poor natches, they just had no idea what they missed out on!'

Anna's brows knit together. Ten years on, she was used to the vast difference between her left and right eyes - the augmented and the natural, but she could well imagine the initial shock. After all, she'd lived through it, too. Suffered for it. The vertigo, the motion sickness... Gunther had it better, both of his eyes being equal - both being augmented. Old tech, yes, but still miles better than any natch's.

'Your arms, they match. Did you get them upgraded?'

''Course, several times. Wouldn't have lasted all the years otherwise, not with all the hits and bullets...'

'Mine weren't. They're still performing fine, I saw no reason to...' she paused. 'I wonder, which one of us is stronger?'

Navarre reached out, gripping his hand, aiming for a friendly arm wrestling contest. Competitive as they both were, the wrestling quickly changed to involve other body parts, too. She rolled and managed to dislodge him, and in the next instant, she was the one on top, her legs pinning him to the bed, her hands forcing his wrists down. It lasted only for a moment, Hermann breaking the hold with shocking ease, and then she was the one on her back. She arched, trying to free herself, but he held fast. The only thing she succeeded in doing was bringing their bodies together.

The shock of the contact robbed her of breath for a moment, long enough for Gunther to shift, bringing his leg between hers, making his victory even more clear. Anna arched her back again, but for a completely different reason. She yanked her right arm, taking advantage of his momentary distraction, and fumbled at her fly, finally pulling the leggings down.

Hermann grinned, even in his drunk state he clearly knew where this was heading...

* * *

Jaime Reyes looked up, surprised, at the sound of shuffling footsteps and muttered swearwords. The medbay was not usually one's first destination in the morning, unless the soldier overindulged the evening before. Anna Navarre hopped onto the closest bed, wincing and still swearing in Spanish, and yanked her vest off.

'Damn. Got something for those bruises, Jaime?' she asked, peering at her shoulder.

The medic passed her a jar of bruise paste, and winced as he got a look at her other shoulder. It looked suspiciously like a handprint, now that he thought of it.

'Any others?' he asked before she reached out for her clothing.

Agent Navarre shook her head, and then she stilled and frowned, as though something just occurred to her. Cautiously, she loosened her black leggings enough to slide them down a bit, and winced as she saw a clear handprint on her hip. Reyes saw a matching bruise on her other hip and felt a frisson of alarm run through him - blooming into genuine fright when he saw Anna pat her thighs and wince.

'Lie down!' he barked, and pulled her trousers off as soon as she complied.

The sight of clear, yellowish-green fingerprints on Navarre's inner thighs made him freeze, and then he was reaching for a hotline straight to the chief before he even knew what he was doing.

'No! It isn't what you think!' Navarre gasped out, his hand centimeters from the handset.

'You mean to tell me you weren't- assaulted?' the medic forced himself to put his thoughts into words.

Anna looked bewildered, mere seconds away from bursting into hysterical laughter.

'No, no one forced me- _maldita sea_ , you know him, he wouldn't- ever!'

Jaime felt his eyes grow huge as he looked back at the mark on his coworker's hip. Now that he knew, it was indeed shaped like a man's hand, and he only knew one man with hands large enough to leave a bruise of such a size... never mind it must have taken a lot of strength to even leave such a mark on an aug such as Navarre.

' _Gunther_ did it?!' he blurted out in shock. 'He should be more aware of his own strength.'

'He is! It's just- uh- we wanted to see which one of us was stronger, and uh- one thing led to another, uh-'

Reyes pinched the bridge of his nose. That was more information than he'd ever wanted on his colleagues' affair...

'Just- be more careful next time? You don't want to get hurt again...'

'Hurt?' Navarre looked even more bewildered. 'They didn't hurt, I didn't even notice, I only saw it this morning by accident....'

The medic quietly facepalmed. Military mechs and their high pain thresholds...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .. somewhere in week 4 or 5...
> 
> Chapter inspired by a very recent conversation in /r/deusex. No sense of touch is a very real downside of current real-life prosthetic arms. For the inspiration concerning the eyes, google 'cyborg man' or 'Neil Harbisson'.
> 
> "Lifting steel beams and cars" are mentioned in Gunther's writeup in the original Deus Ex design doc.
> 
> The second part of this has been bouncing around my mind for quite some time, and finally I got the perfect intro to fit ;) I wrote this on the holidays, without my notes, so I might have gotten some details wrong (this story does quite a lot of contortions to fit with the DX timeline)
> 
> Any misspelled words are on purpose (Gunther is really drunk)
> 
> Unglaublich - unbelievable (German)  
> nicht verstehen - don't understand (German)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really tried to write either Week Three III for the prequel, or chapter 10 for the sequel, but they're still unfinished (bits and pieces with glaring holes in the middle). So instead, I am giving you loyal reader(s) a short finished chapter that works pretty much anywhere in the timeline, probably happening somewhere around week 4 or 5.

Captain Ron's, LA 

Kep stopped suddenly, beer in hand, as the light patterns in the bar shifted, illuminating a previously dark corner. There was no mistaking the seated man - Gunther Hermann's height and augmentations rendering him impossible to miss. Even more shocking, her had a woman sprawled across his lap. There was a bottle of wine perched precariously on a small table, and two half-full glasses.

One of his friends barrelled into Kep's back, uttering a curse before turning his head to check what had him so captivated.

'Heh, Hermann hired himself a girl!' the man laughed loudly.

The other two UNATCO men waved at them from the table, and the private slowly made his way across, periodically turning his head to glance at Gunther and his girl. Unless he was mistaken, her hair was black and cut short... He quickly stopped this train of thought, as he saw her shift, Hermann's hand disappearing under her short, form-fitting black dress.

'You think that's second base?' the other private asked, tilting his head in the couple's direction. 'Reckon we ought to tell them to stop?'

'Like hell Gunther would stop at second-' Kep's friend blurted out, and the other two froze, evidently having missed the other man's identity.

The augmented agent and the girl continued to kiss, hands clearly wandering more and more. The glasses stood abandoned, and he nearly knocked one of them off when the woman shifted to sit astride, her legs clearly on both sides of his, her skirt riding up, revealing where exactly his hand was.

'That's definitely second base' someone commented, and Kep groaned, dearly hoping that the two would just stop and that the woman was _not_ who he thought she was.

Unfortunately it just wasn't his day and he was the first to look away when he heard a belt unbuckling, and then soft moans and whispers. The men elbowed each other, grinning conspiratorially and whispering 'Third? Fourth?', but then progressively growing more embarrassed as Hermann and his woman clearly had no intention of stopping, nor any awareness that they were being watched - not that the clothing and positioning revealed much.

'Fancy seeing ya here, the chief and I decided on some R and- ' Carter stopped mid word, his can of ale still gripped in his hand.

'Hermann! Have you gone completely cock-for-brains?!' he roared.

'Uh, no?' the man himself stammered, face turning an impressive shade of scarlet.

'Your hands better not be where I think they are! You two have five minutes to get presentable before Joseph- Mr Manderley - gets here!'

Gunther looked completely panicked, eyes darting every which way, as he tried to extricate himself as quick as possible. It ended with him pushing the woman off his knees, with the unfortunate side effect of revealing his exact state of dress - or rather, undress. The UNATCO men giggled loudly at the realization that, for all of his augmentations, Hermann was built like any other man, discounting his impressive size. He attempted to tuck himself away, but the woman grabbed hold of his open trousers and pulled him in the direction of the back rooms.

* * *

The chief did arrive, but closer to ten than five minutes after Gunther and his girl made a hasty exit. The men were awkward at first, but as time passed the atmosphere relaxed - enough that one of the men hinted at Hermann's rather panicked reaction. Kep tried to kick the 'loose lips' guy under the table, but missed, and Mr Manderley only listened as far as 'nice brunette-' before jumping to his feet and striding off towards the back rooms. Kep and the others followed at a distance.

'Hermann! You have two minutes to open the door or I'm going in!' the chief yelled, banging on the closed door.

Gunther opened the door mere seconds before the end of the countdown and it was perfectly obvious that he had been completely naked when he first heard the yelling.

'Sir?!' he blanched and hastily tried to pull up his trousers.

'Don't bother, Gunther' the chief said acidly. 'I assume she is in bed?'

The man went red in the face, and didn't say a word, not even when Mr Manderley yelled at him about not upholding behavior standards. More than a bit perplexed, the UNATCO men shared a look, trying to figure out why exactly the boss was so mad - it wasn't like they were celibate, and it was not unheard of for a man to find himself a girl for the night...

'Gunther?' a surprisingly familiar voice asked.

Hermann's lover stood in the doorway behind him, clearly naked except for a towel. When she saw Mr Manderley, she made a sound that was difficult to describe - at a higher pitch, it would probably be called a squeak, but her voice wasn't quite high enough.

'Get dressed!' the chief barked at her in a tone that brooked no arguments.

When she reemerged a couple of minutes later, she was wearing the black dress they originally saw her in. Even before Mr Manderley tore into her, she hung her head and avoided looking at anyone.

'I can't even begin to imagine what the two of you were thinking!-' the chief went from pale to red and then blue in the face. 'A UNATCO agent carrying on like a whore- in public!-'

'Don't you call her-' Gunther was either brave or stupid enough to interrupt the chief.

'You shut your mouth, Hermann! I am simply stating the facts. You two were seen-' Mr Manderley spluttered for a moment, clearly lost for words '-doing things in public, by your own coworkers, no less! One more stunt like this, and you'll be saying welcome to a new, _male_ partner, Agent Hermann!'

Hermann spluttered and Kep groaned on his side of the door, realizing he was right when it came to predicting the woman's identity.

'We are off-duty-' the man forced out.

'Not any longer!' the chief was incandescent in his anger 'Agent Navarre, you go to your own flat and change, and report for today's night shift. Yes, night shift, get moving, Navarre!'

The door was slammed open and Agent Navarre walked out, two high spots of red on her cheeks. Humiliated or angered? The men had no wish to find out and simply jumped out of her way - not that she seemed to have noticed them at all.

From beyond the door, Gunther's voice could be heard, too low to make out individual words.

'And you get tomorrow's day shift, Hermann! Not a word out of you, or I'll make that arrangement last longer than a day!'

Hermann said something about such an arrangement being 'detrimental' - Kep was privately impressed by the German's vocabulary while his colleagues attempted to disguise snickers.

'That's exactly the point.' the chief said coldly. 'Some abstinence hasn't killed anyone yet'

Gunther mumbled something that sounded like a swearword, and Mr Manderley promptly left, unaware that he'd singlehandedly upended the privates' opinions of the night. Hermann himself showed his face in the common room twenty minutes later, a bag slung over his shoulder and wearing a furious scowl.

'Mr Manderley's right, no one's died from a case of blue balls yet' one of Kep's friends snickered.

'Pleasant dreams, Gunther!' called out another.

The German flipped him the finger before downing the rest of his glass of wine and leaving.

'You think he's gonna think of her when wanking tonight?' wondered the third UNATCO man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The bar name is literally from a random bar name generator on the internet. I imagine Captain Ron is a retired military guy, hence lots of military folks frequent the place because he gives them freebies ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hot off the press, what was originally going to be a Kinktober drabble (for day 20 prompt Codependency) has grown waay too big to be a Kinktober drabble.
> 
> Warning, some fairly serious topics hinted at (literally, it's in the prompt itself).

Medical directorate exam room, UNATCO

Anna Navarre walked into the room, squinting against the sterile bright light inside. The only furniture was a clean white desk and three chairs - two on one side of the desk, the one further away from the door, and one currently facing the door. She briefly wondered whether to give the occupants of the two chairs the courtesy of a nod, and decided not to. After all, they knew her and she did know them, too. It wasn't the first time she was in the room, either.

The man did not even give her the courtesy of looking at her, instead clearly engrossed in her medical documentation, as though it would suddenly illuminate him. His face was a blur due to the way he was positioned relative to the bright lamp. The woman on the other hand could be clearly seen, dark eyes in a pale face framed by dark, slightly wavy hair.

She held her hands up in a placating gesture - not that it did anything to Anna.

'How are you feeling?' she asked, leaning forward very slightly.

Navarre just scoffed.

'You know this is an interview to determine your combat readiness. You are an... extremely active agent and you have seen more action in the last half a year than most recruits see in a year.'

'Spare me the platitudes, Auzenne' Anna said shortly, sitting down in the empty chair.

Only then did the man look up from her documentation.

'Doctor Reyes has recently made the observation that your... emotional limitations are most likely a result of a botched augmentation. Considering the augmentation took place over ten years ago, I fail to understand why this is coming to light now and not earlier'

'You never asked, Eschells - and before you ask, I was not aware that the two were connected'

'Really? It didn't occur to you that a drastic change in your mental state that only happened after you were augmented could be connected to the surgery?'

'Wasn't like I did much thinking on the topic' Navarre shot back.

It wasn't even five minutes into the interview and Carver Eschells already was pushing all of her buttons. If she had to pick, she'd definitely pick Auzenne over him, the woman was at least less of an annoyance.

'You did not wonder what happened to cause the change?' Delara asked, her voice perfectly tuned to soothe ordinary people.

Anna no longer felt most emotions, so it did nothing to her.

'Why would I? There is no point. It does not interfere with my mission capabilities, so it is irrelevant, and so is the cause'

'If you had the option of going back to your original state... would you take it?'

'The question is irrelevant' Navarre did not even blink. 'There is no such option.'

'But if you could?' Auzenne was nothing if not persistent.

'In hindsight, the only thing " _emotions_ "' Anna could not stop the note of derision from creeping into her voice 'did was make me a less effective soldier. They introduced far too much variability, far too much hesitation'

Delara hmm'ed and made other noncommittal sounds, peering into the documentation in front of Eschells. There was a longer pause as something appeared to arrest her attention, and then she turned back to face the agent.

'Yes, they might have made you a more effective soldier, but what about other aspects of life?'

'Such as?' Anna frowned.

Auzenne and Eschells exchanged a look.

'Your medical file makes mention of a recent surgery due to a failing eye augmentation. The electrical discharge supposedly had some... interesting side effects.'

'Oh, _those_ effects' Navarre said, completely bland. 'At least they meant I got laid'

Carver Eschells made a choking sound in what was probably the first time in all the years she had undergone those irritating interviews.

'I seem to recall you... preferred to avoid social interactions with most people' Delara took it upon herself to continue the interview.

Eschells coughed a couple more times and said something in an undertone, forgetting her hearing was augmented. It sounded suspiciously like '... people who are not Agent Hermann'.

Anna shrugged.

'Not everyone likes large gatherings. I don't'

'At least it seems your social contact - outside of duty - is no longer limited to one person; that's a definite positive.'

'I don't remember meeting anyone for idle chitchat' Navarre snorted.

'Your lover? Unless that's limited to... remote viewing, it usually involves face-to-face contact'

'Ooh, it involves much more contact than just face-to-face' Anna smirked. 'And no, it's not just... a remote arrangement. Though I admit, the idea is intriguing. Sex tapes? Phone calls? What did you have in mind, Delara?'

Auzenne choked and went a spectacular shade of red, which made Navarre laugh outright.

'Unless I am misremembering, you are in fact married. Not that I ever met your mysterious husband, so which one of those do _you_ utilize?'

Delara went an even deeper shade of red and took an extra large gulp of water to avoid answering. She busied herself with a pencil before jotting down some notes.

'So we've established your social circle has grown slightly, that's good. It means you are no longer limited to just one pe-'

'Where did you get the idea that I'm meeting more than one person outside of duty?' Anna rolled her eyes. 'There is still only one person I can stomach outside of duty, that hasn't changed.'

Eschells frowned.

'Lying is not your forte, Navarre. You haven't lied to us before, why begin now?'

'Why would I be lying? You asked, I answered'

'Hermann plus your lover makes two, and you said you only meet one person after work.'

Navarre burst out laughing before she could stop herself.

'That is not a lie, that is you making wrong assumptions.'

'There are no wrong assumptions to be made here' Eschells could not censor himself and his finger made a circle over his temple as he glanced at Auzenne.

'You're assuming they're two separate people' Anna said plainly. 'I never said so'

Too late, she realized what she just revealed, and bit her tongue. Delara and Carver exchanged a look which said 'Crazy' better than any words could, and then Navarre could clearly see when they finally made the connection. Saying their jaws dropped was putting it mildly.

* * *

Gunther Hermann looked up at the sound of footsteps. Anna walked past him, not sparing even a glance. The door opened and Eschells waved him in, his face wary and cautious - even more so than usual. Did Anna's interview go badly? When he took his spot, he saw not only his own medical documentation open on the desk, but also Navarre's file.

'What is wrong?' he decided to preempt the inevitable - and boring - questioning.

Delara and Carver looked at each other.

'Nothing is wrong, per se' said the man.

'Bullshit! You're frowning at me, is it my looks that insulted you so?'

Auzenne made a cut-off sound, as though she started to laugh or maybe say something in spite of herself. Now that he paid more attention, not only was Eschells frowning, but the woman had two high spots of color in her cheeks. Fairly unusual for the usually perfectly composed psychiatrist. She shifted several times before finally voicing her first question.

'This is an interview to determine your combat readiness, and considering who your assigned partner is, I admit I have some doubts...'

'Navarre being my partner hasn't been an issue' Hermann frowned '- ever. Why would it suddenly be?'

'Her emotional state...' Eschells trailed off.

'- is still the same, as far as I know.'

Auzenne and the man exchanged another look. It was quickly getting annoying.

'Is it?' Delara asked in a tone that was half curiosity, half a challenge.

Gunther stared back, his hackles rising, feeling as though he was the butt of yet another joke.

'If you think you know something I don't, say it instead of clowning around!' he exploded.

'I believe it is the other way around this time, you apparently know things we don't'

Great. More cryptic statements.

'Get to the. FUCKING. Point. Woman.' he snarled.

'The point is, I believe this is the first time that Navarre is in a relationship of any sort. And to make things even more complicated...'

Even better. Anna told them?! Just great for his future perspectives.

'Yes she did, and you have to understand, this is a unique situation...' Auzenne said softly.

He said it out loud? He didn't notice. He really ought to control his temper better, Anna always said, and now he was getting them both in trouble. The woman, Delara, was good at her job, but Gunther could see straight through her tricks.

'Let me guess, you are thinking this is a problem. Welcome to the fucking club! Front row seats to the fucking show-' he leaned in, towering over Eschells 'Well guess what, it's none of your fucking business, and we can still do our job the same as we did before!'

'Control yourself, Hermann! The way you're behaving right now you are only proving our initial assessment right.'

Oh. Gunther hadn't even realized he was no longer sitting. He slowly sat back down in the chair, stuttering apologies.

'We are not here to talk about your current relationship, provided it doesn't impede your combat readiness.'

He hadn't missed the slight emphasis the woman put on the word 'current'.

'I bet you're thinking it won't last, that I'm way too ugly for her? As I said, welcome to the club! You're not the first one, just have the balls to say it to my damned face!'

Carver and Delara exchanged one more look and he ticked off something in his notes.

'Or you're probably thinking it's Anna who's the problem, being the crazy psycho? Surprise, you're damn wrong! No fucking problem there!'

'And if there was a problem?' Auzenne's softly voiced question put an instant stop to his anger. 'What would you do?'

There was a longer pause as Hermann mulled it over.

'What do you mean?' he decided he needed more clarification.

'You know Navarre's emotional state. It's a rather drastic change of situation. She's been rather... stable, but any more such situations, and-'

'I'll make sure no 'situations' can bother her' he said darkly, his eyes flashing at the reminder of all the people who pestered Anna - or him - recently.

'And if something does happen?' Delara was undeterred in her line of questioning.

There was no doubt in his mind as to what the answer is.

'I'll fix it. I have some-' he hesitated '-tricks, I can fix her'

He expected their reaction to be positive, to be applauded for his loyalty, and instead what he got was two frowning faces, and a sense that they were both completely focused on him.

'How far would you go in 'fixing' Anna?'

'As far as necessary' he didn't even blink.

'I don't doubt your...' Auzenne paused, evidently looking for a word 'dedication, but your abilities and resources are limited. So let me rephrase it - how much of them would you expend?'

'All of them.' Gunther said without hesitation 'She needs to be in top condition, not broken, to be effective in her job'

'And what about you?' Eschells asked.

The German frowned, confused.

'You just said you would use all of your resources to help Navarre. That leaves none for yourself.'

'That does not matter. I will manage'

The bright light was making it difficult to read faces, and the way the two turned away from him meant they were having a silent conversation.

' _You_ need to be in top condition to do your job, too' Delara pointed out.

Hermann waved that concern away as though it was completely insignificant.

'Don't tell me how to do my job, Auzenne. I have been doing it probably longer than your pretty face has been around. UNATCO wasn't my first rodeo, after all'

Belatedly, he wondered where he picked that expression up, and figured Reyes was a probable source. The silent conversation continued, after which they asked a couple more questions - just the usual 'how are you?' bullshit - and dismissed him.

For some reason, Gunther couldn't shake the feeling that the conversation didn't exactly go well. But he couldn't imagine what fault Auzenne and Eschells could possibly find with him. With Anna, yes, they probably had a hundred problems to pick. She was the resident psycho, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally planned the character doing the interview/evaluation to be a one-time OC, but then I started looking through Deus Ex dialogue/text sources...  
> A "Carver Eschells" signs one of the Medical Directorate emails in DX. Delara Auzenne is yes, the one from HR:MD.
> 
> A (fairly convincing) theory says Delara Auzenne's husband is SPOILER (mouse over to see)
> 
> There will be a follow-up interlude where Eschells & Auzenne present their conclusions to Manderley.


	9. Chapter 8 interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, the direct sequel to yesterday's chapter.
> 
> The topics covered yesterday are explicitly discussed. Trigger warning, it includes semi-detailed discussion of mental disorders, such as codependency and anti-social personality disorder aka psychopathy aka sociopathy.

Joseph Manderley's office, UNATCO

Joseph Manderley looked up, as Janice's voice announced Dr Auzenne's arrival. She threw down two folders onto his desk, with excessive force. Two steps behind her, Carver Eschells followed. That by itself had his brows climbing in disbelief, as Eschells was more than happy in Med Directorate, only interacting with other departments via email.

'Did you know?' the man bit out tightly.

'I am afraid you'll have to be a bit more specific' the chief said.

'Did you know two of your agents are...' Delara paused, looking for a word '...in a relationship?'

Manderley pinched the bridge of his nose, which was rapidly becoming a tick of his whenever someone brought this particular situation up.

'Yes, and I allowed it because they didn't really leave me much of a choice. The only reasonable alternative is dismissing Navarre, after all.'

'While I admit she is a useful asset, her shortcomings are as much of an issue as ever'

'Anti-social personality disorder. Close to zero interpersonal skills. Zero filter. Fixated on killing.' Eschells interjected, clearly to support Auzenne.

'And she is the best shot on roster, and a field agent doesn't necessarily need social skills' the chief countered. 'And I admit I am curious, how did the relationship _did_ get dragged into the interview at all?'

'As I said... zero filter. Especially when it comes to sex, apparently. Eschells commented on the augmentation malfunction, and that apparently was enough for the conversation to segue into... barely acceptable directions.' Delara pulled out a sheet from the folder and slid it towards the chief, one slender finger pointing at a transcript of Anna Navarre's statements.

Manderley took a moment to read through it, only to turn extremely red.

'That is not funny, Auzenne' he wheezed finally. 'I haven't known you to pull practical pranks.'

'Believe me, sir, this is no prank' Carver interjected.

'And that is not the end of the problem.' the psychiatrist pulled out a sheet from the other folder, again, pointing out a line.

Someone had drawn a big red exclamation mark next to it. And Hermann's subsequent replies had even more exclamation marks.

'Agent Hermann's statement about _fixing_... his assigned partner seems literally drawn from codependency example checklist. With that in mind, we reevaluated the previous interviews... and we came to the conclusion that indeed, they seem to be in a codependent relationship.'

'Codependent relationships need not be romantic or sexual, there have been multiple cases of a codependency rooted in friendship.' Eschells clarified. 'After reevaluation, we surmise that we are merely now seeing what has been ongoing for a long time. Isolation? Mood swings? Anxiety? Feelings of inadequacy? These have been noted in Hermann's evaluation for years.'

'Neither of them has any meaningful social contact, outside of duty, except each other. This was always chalked up to their individual personality traits, but in all likelihood was where the codependency started. On Hermann's part, he has been fixing problems Navarre started, ever since she was augmented. Big and small alike: he stopped fights, placated people she antagonised, even paid them to shut up on occasion. We used to see it as extreme loyalty, but in fact taking responsibility for the other person and fixing his or her problems is also a symptom of codependency'

'In simplest terms' Auzenne picked up, evidently seeing the chief's blank look 'codependency is a severe imbalance in the relationship. One person is the taker. The other is the giver. The giver literally enables the taker to function, often including destructive behavior such as drugs, while completely neglecting him or herself.'

'While I see how that could be dangerous for the giver... what are the consequences for the other party?' Manderley wondered aloud.

'Same as in any other unhealthy relationship, as well as... no independence due to reliance on the giver. Furthering any existing unhealthy behaviors. No personal growth due to the other person compensating for their under-functioning.'

'In other words, maybe apart from the independence issue, all things that still would be problematic for Navarre considering the root nature of her issues.' the boss summed it up succintly. 'What would you recommend, as professionals?'

Delara sighed.

'Normally, the people involved in a codependent relationship would be sent into therapy. Separate therapy strongly preferred. But I imagine it's not feasible if you want to keep them on the roster, sir'

'No, and due to Anna's brain damage I fail to understand how any amount of therapy could change her behavioral issues' Manderley pointed out. 'I understand psychopathy is extremely difficult to treat, even without actual damage coming into the equation'

'The proper medical term is anti-social personality disorder' Auzenne could not resist pointing out. 'Indeed, most cases are only moderately successful in treatment, and often relapse if given any opportunity to return to their previous lifestyles. There is still a chance, however...'

For the first time, Eschells clearly showed he did not agree with his coworker. He looked at her askance.

'Navarre's brain was damaged in the process of augmentation. Hence, fixing it, which a prerequisite to any therapy attempt, would necessitate tinkering with her combat augmentations. There is no guarantee it would achieve the desired result, and it runs an extremely high risk of lowering her combat readiness, damaging her combat augmentations, rendering her unfit for duty, potentially forever, or even killing her. None of those are acceptable.'

'There is still a chance of success...'

'Unless the chance of success massively outweighs the probability of the negative outcomes, it is not an option. I understand Agents Navarre and Hermann both have been found combat-ready?' the chief interrupted the budding scientific disagreement before it could escalate into something even more scientific he would not understand a word of.

'One hundred percent, sir' Delara had to grudgingly admit.

'In that case, I fail to see how their personal relationship is relevant, and I will impress on Navarre that her total lack of filter is not appreciated'


End file.
